High school biology teacher arrested on cocaine charge in Hernando

SPRING HILL — A Nature Coast Technical High School biology teacher was arrested early Saturday after authorities discovered cocaine residue in a container during a traffic stop, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

David Charles Liptak, 47, was pulled over shortly after 1:30 a.m. in the 4400 block of Commercial Way, north of Forest Oaks Boulevard. It wasn’t immediately clear why he was stopped.

Liptak, the only person in the car, was “very nervous and was visibly shaking,” according to a Sheriff’s Office report. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he grabbed a black-colored fanny pack, according to the report. He consented to a search of the car and the fanny pack.

In the pack, the deputy found an Altoids mint container with a small plastic bag and a cut plastic straw inside.

The deputy noticed a white powdery residue inside the bag that later tested positive for cocaine. Liptak initially said the bag contained creatine, but later said it might be cocaine, according to the report.

After the powder tested positive for cocaine, he said “the Altoids container belonged to his girlfriend and that he does not use drugs,” the report said.

Outside of teaching, Liptak has also been a professional wrestler. His name: Dave Power.

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